[WorkinLonghorn]

'69 GMC has been running fine, then I hit some deep water (I forgot that I don't have a Passenger side inner fender). The next time I went to use it, it stalled out in traffic and wouldn't CRANK. So I pushed it. in the rain, 1/2 block while steering it away from the parked cars, finally finding a spot (hey, I'm only 70).
So anyway after sorting out the wires attached to the post near the battery (one was bare from vibration against the body), it will crank but not start. I check the lead to the HEI style distributor and I see 12+ Volts. So I bought a distributor for $50 on Amazon. Still nothing while cranking. So I run a lead from the battery to the distributor and it fires right up, just before I would have gotten a massive parking ticket. Of course, it won't turn off, even with the battery ground disconnected but at least I got it home.
I take the ignition switch off and I see that "Ign." has 12+V until the start position is attempted, then nothing. Ah! Bad switch! Cough up $30+ at Auto Zone and that switch does the exact same think; Ign.voltage cuts out during cranking.
I did wiggle the wires under there initially and my ancient brain remembers that there was some sort of jury rig in the wiring. I notice that the Brown wire is off with fresh 1/4" copper showing. I crimp a new female spade connector on there and plug it into Aux.
My question is this; If both of these switches are good, then the only "hot" terminal on the back of the switch during cranking is the "Sol" to the starter solenoid . How the heck does the ignition circuit get it's electricity during cranking.
There is one wire going from "Ign" on the fuse block directly to the distributor (not a resistor wire, I still had a brain when I did the conversion to HEI 20 years ago). The purple Solenoid wire disappears into a harness into the fuse block I think. What am I missing here? The only way I can explain it is if both switches are bad. MUCH thanks, -BA